Is that fruit ripe?

A friend sent me this, from an article called "Ripe Now," by Jeffrey Steingarten (reprinted in "Cookwise," by Shirley Corriher).

• Fruits that NEVER ripen after they are picked: soft berries, cacao, cherries, grapes, citrus fruits, lychees, olives, pineapples, and watermelons.

• Fruits that ripen ONLY after picking: avocados.

• Fruits that ripen in color, texture, and juiciness but NOT in flavor or sweetness after picking: apricots, blueberries, figs, melons (except watermelons), passionfruit, peaches, and persimmons.

• Fruits that get sweeter after they are picked: apples, cherimoyas, kiwi, mangoes, papayas, pears, sapotes, and soursops.

• Fruits that ripen in EVERY way after picking: bananas.

So those incredible baseball-sized peaches we get at our local grocery this time of year, that go from hard to juicy in 3 days, were that sweet and nice to begin with?! Interesting.

I wonder if plums and nectarines fit in with peaches...

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Aug 2, 2003

Also from my friend:

Shirley Corriher's book Cookwise is filled with this great stuff. Also, Alton Brown's I'm Only Here for the Food makes the info a bit more fun. Both great books.

I don't doubt it. There are some wonderful food books. We love Calvin Trillin's writings, as well as Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. If you can find it, Food (out of print), by Waverly Root is a joy to flip through. We got lucky once and found a stack at a used bookstore - great for presents. Also, for a slightly more "technical" approach, look for On Food and Cooking and The Curious Cook by Harold McGee.

Is that fruit ripe? ( in category SciTech ) - posted at Sat, 02 Aug, 08:07 Pacific | «e»